Introduction xix for the Liberation of Congo, guilty of crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, and pillage, for acts carried out in 2002 and 2003. Nevertheless, 113 of the 276 Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted from a boarding school in 2014 remain in captivity. In October 2016, 21 girls were released, and in May 2017, 82 of them were released after the Nigerian government negotiated with the Boko Haram terrorists and released five of their commanders in exchange. In conflict areas of the world, the abduction and rape of women and girls hap- pens routinely and openly. As some of the stigma against speaking out against rape loosens, victims worldwide have come forward to accuse their attackers. In the United States in 2016, more than two dozen women accused Roger Ailes, creator of Fox News, of sexual harassment. Comedian and television actor Bill Cosby was prosecuted for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, as well as a woman identified as “Jane Doe” who also claims to have been drugged and assaulted. More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, though only these two faced him in this trial. Judge Steven T. O’Neill declared a mis- trial after the jury could not reach a decision. A new trial is expected to take place in March 2018 (Bowley 2017). In October 2017, numerous women accused movie producer Harvey Wein- stein of sexual assault and harassment. He was fired from the Weinstein Com- pany, which he cofounded with his brother. Following these allegations, a social media hashtag, #MeToo, went viral, as women all over the world began to chime in with their experiences of sexual assault and harassment. The New York Times reported that as of December 18, 2017, 47 powerful men had been accused of sexual misconduct and had lost their jobs. The names include chef and TV celebrity Mario Batali Garrison Keillor, former host of the radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion” actor Kevin Spacey and Senator Al Franken. An additional 26 men have been suspended for allegations of sexual misconduct (Almukhtar, Gold, and Buchanan 2017). In 2016, the Washington Post obtained an “Access Hollywood” tape of then presidential candidate Donald Trump talking to television personality Billy Bush. Trump made several vulgar comments about women, including saying that stars “can do anything” to women and suggesting he can “Grab ’em by the p***y” (New York Times Staff 2016). Trump dismissed the remarks as “locker room talk.” However, many professional athletes condemned the remarks and denied that such talk was common in locker rooms (Blau 2016). It seems that rape cases are still too often viewed as a matter of “he said, she said,” and victims often fight to have their stories believed, especially when the perpetrator is well known or powerful. In the 17th century, the British barrister, judge, and legal scholar Matthew Hale wrote, “It is true rape is a most detestable crime, and therefore ought severely and impartially to be punished with death
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